This incident sparked outrage, illuminating the troubling reality of why many women hesitate to report sexual assaults. Despite being caught in the act, Turner faced a legal system that many viewed as lenient. He was charged with five felonies, including rape of both an intoxicated and unconscious person, as well as sexual penetration with a foreign object. After being released on a $150,000 bail, Turner was ultimately convicted on three of the five counts.
Although he faced a potential 14-year prison sentence, he was sentenced to just six months in county jail, of which he served only three. The injustice of this outcome has fueled public outrage and highlighted the systemic issues within the criminal justice system regarding sexual violence.
In an ironic twist, a student named Laura Thompson shared a striking image from her Criminal Justice textbook on social media. The textbook, Introduction to Criminal Justice, Second Edition by Callie Marie Rennsion, uses Brock Turner’s mugshot alongside the definition of rape. The caption reads, “Brock Turner, a Stanford student who raped and assaulted an unconscious female college student behind…”